WFI excludes Brij Bhushan Singh, accused of sexual harassment, from electoral college; gives spot to son-in-law

Anita Sheoran, a key witness in the sexual harassment case against Singh, has been named as the Odisha representative for the August 12 polls. Despite being a 2010 CWG gold medalist from Haryana and employed with the state police, her inclusion from Odisha raises eyebrows.

Similarly, Prem Chand Lochab's name appears as a representative from Gujarat, despite him being the secretary of the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).

In a surprising move, Assam has been granted voting rights by the ad-hoc panel's decision, which has been met with confusion and questioning of the panel's authority to grant membership.

This deviation from the WFI Constitution has raised concerns, with a WFI source stating that it's a clear violation as individuals not associated with the state bodies have been nominated and approved for the electoral college list.

Earlier, during protests led by wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, sports minister Anurag Thakur had promised that no one from Brij Bhushan's family would contest the elections. Although Singh and his son Karan refrained from entering the elections, Vishal Singh, the outgoing chief's son-in-law, will represent Bihar in the polls.

Due to certain claims being deemed "ineligible," both Maharashtra and Tripura will not have any representatives at the elections. Tripura has remained disaffiliated since 2016.

Each state unit will have two representatives allowed to vote in the elections.

Notably, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is currently facing multiple charges of sexual harassment and is on bail. His eligibility to contest has been ruled out as he has already completed the maximum allowed term of 12 years as an office-bearer, as per the National Sports Code.

Accordingly, Uttar Pradesh's state unit will be represented by Prem Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Singh.